"Who is this busher?" "Why was he hired to manage the Cubs, he has no major league experience?" "The President of the Cubs shouldve hired a star instead of this guy!"That sounds like the reaction of many Cubs fans when the Cubs hired Dale Sveum to manage the team for 2012, but it is meant to describe what many people must hav felt in 1925 when the Cubs hired Joe McCarthy. Like Sveum, McCarthy had no experience as a major league manager. Indeed, McCarthy had never even PLAYED in the major leagues. Even the owner of the Cubs, William Wrigley had trepidations about hiring McCarthy. To put this into the proper perspective, you have to understand that the Cubs were coming off a terrible year in 1925, suffering through 3 managers. They had fired incumbent Bill Killefer in mid season because Killefer had had 4 and a half years and couldnt get them higher than 4th place and replaced him with Rabbitt Maranville. Now ol' Rabbitt was a popular guy and future Hall of Famer(where have I heard that before?) but he liked to have fun and enjoy the nightlife, which left him ill-suited for managing in the major leagues. His players had trouble playing for him and, predictably enough, the team was lousy. Then they brought in George Gibson, who didnt really want to be manager, but he finished the season anyway, and when Gibson wasnt inclined to return to the job, Cub President William Veeck, Sr. had to find a new manager. So he took a different tack, looking to the minor leagues and found Joe McCarthy. McCarthy had an outstanding record in the minors, but no major league experience of any kind. Now, in the 20s, I think it was common practice to bring in a manager who had been a player, in most cases a journeyman who may have studied under another manager or occasionally a star would get a chance. But hiring a man with no major league playing experience was unheard of and many people scoffed at Veecks decision. But it turned out to be a good move. The Cubs in 1926 included many up and coming young players who needed the proper guidance, including Gabby Hartnett, Riggs Stephenson, Charlie Root, Tony Kaufmann, Sheriff Blake and Guy Bush and Charlie Grimm, who had been acquired in a trade and Hack Wilson who was quietly stolen from John McGraw(although to be fair, McGraw was not fond of Hacks drinking anyway). They finished 4th in 1926 and 1927 and 3rd in 1928. Then after Wrigleys acquisition of Rogers Hornsby they won the pennant in 1929. Unfortunately they could not overcome a strong Philadelphia Athletics team and lost the Series. Of course, Wrigley(whom I never thought was that fond of McCarthys hiring to begin with) never forgave Joe for not winning a championship and after 1930, Wrigley fired him and replaced him with Rogers Hornsby. And we all know how well THAT worked out! McCarthy would go on to the Yankees and 8 more pennants and 7 World Series titles. Not bad for a guy nobody had ever heard of! So before you write off Dale Sveum, remember the lesson of Joe McCarthy.